Even if you're ready to make the leap into broadband Internet access,
don't forget about your analog modem. Some forms of broadband are speedy
in the download direction only, relying on your existing dial-up modem to send
email and Web page requests. Even if you opt for a high-speed two-way service,
you might face delays in getting the service installed. And, when you get broadband,
your "ace in the hole" against inevitable system failures is your
analog modem running as a backup.

So, don't discard that modem; instead, learn how to make it work better
whenever you use it.

Old Modems Become New

As you learned in Chapter 2, your dial-up modem is the biggest single
slowdown factor in how you experience the World Wide Web and the Internet.
Because you're reading this book (and an extra thank you! if you bought
it), I know you're drooling over getting a high-speed connection. So, why
did I include this chapter?

As you'll discover in later chapters, some parts of the country offer
you an overstuffed buffet table of high-speed choices, while others offer only
promises of high-speed services to come. If you live in a part of the country
where high-speed Internet is filed under science fictionfuturistic
fantasy, you need this chapter.

You also need this chapter even if you're about to make the high-speed
plunge. Unlike dial-up services such as AOL, Prodigy, or others which can be
activated by installing the free trial CD-ROM that fell out of your cereal box
this morning, all high-speed services require that new hardware (and sometimes
new network cable) be installed. This can take timesometimes a lot of
time.

Finally, for those of you fortunate enough to already have high-speed
service, I hope you kept your modem installed. If you did, you can always revert
back to a dial-up Internet connection in case your normal service fails.

So, for all of you, here's how to keep your modem in tip-top shape until
the broadband connection of your dreams arrives (or no longer is on the
fritz).